Ward scores 100th point & Plekanec selected to AHL All-Star game

January 31, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hamilton Bulldogs News Release


The Hamilton Bulldogs (19-20-5-4) will play three road games against two division rivals this week. Hamilton is in fifth place in the North Division seven points behind Edmonton for the final playoff spot.

Wed. Feb. 2 at Rochester (7:05 pm)

Fri. Feb. 4 at St. John's (6:05 pm)

Sat. Feb. 5 at St. John's (6:05 pm)

The Bulldogs earned two points at home this past week. The Dogs beat Syracuse 3-0 (Jan 28) and lost twice to Rochester, 4-2 (Jan 26) and 3-2 (Jan 29).

Bulldogs fans can listen to Derek Wills call all the action live on-line at www.hamiltonbulldogs.com, on AM 820-CHAM or on the Team 990 in Montreal.

Tickets are available for all upcoming home games at the Copps Coliseum Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling Ticketmaster at (905) 527-7666.

For the most up-to-date information and statistics on the Bulldogs please visit www.hamiltonbulldogs.com

North Division Standings

Team GP W L OTL SOL PTS PCT

Rochester 47 31 9 3 4 69 .734

Manitoba 46 29 11 1 5 64 .696

St. John's 46 28 16 0 2 58 .630

Edmonton 46 23 15 3 5 54 .587

Hamilton 48 19 20 5 4 47 .490

Syracuse 45 20 19 3 3 46 .511

Cleveland 47 19 23 1 4 43 .457

Weekly Review

Jan 26 vs Rochester (L 4-2) - Jason Ward scored his 100th and 101st points as a Hamilton Bulldog by notching two goals. Hamilton was unable to rebound from a 4-0 deficit. Goaltender Dan Ellis was solid making 14 saves on 15 shots in relief of Yann Danis who made six saves on nine shots.

ATTN: 3,663; Shots on Goal: Hamilton 44, Rochester 24

Scoring

Hamilton: Ward (2)

Rochester: Paetsch, Taylor, Roy, Vanek

Jan 28 vs Syracuse (W 3-0) - Yann Danis earned the win and his third shutout of the season making 36 saves. Chris Higgins scored two goals and assisted on Tomas Plekanec's game winning goal. Plekanec added an assist while Dan Jancevski earned two assists on the night.

ATTN: 5,770; Shots on Goal: Hamilton 35, Syracuse 36

Scoring

Hamilton: Higgins (2), Plekanec

Syracuse: None

Jan 29 vs Rochester (L 3-2) - The Bulldogs went 2-5 on the power play. Chris Higgins scored his third goal in two games, and Ron Hainsey added another. Dan Ellis turned aside 26 of 29 shots.

ATTN: 6,617; shots on goal Hamilton 38, Rochester 29

Scoring

Hamilton: Higgins, Hainsey

Rochester: Milley, Roy, Smith

Team Notes Corey Locke is sixth place among AHL rookie scorers with 28 points (13g,15a) ... Goaltender Dan Ellis has a 100% save percentage in shootouts with four saves on four shots...at home the Dogs are 6-0-1-0 while leading after the first period, 6-2-0-2 leading after second...have out-shot (146-129) and outscored (11-10) their opponent in the last four games.

Bulldogs' Player of the Week

Chris Higgins - earned four points (3g, 1a) this past week. Scored two goals and added an assist in Hamilton's 3-0 win versus Syracuse. Notched his 13th goal of the season versus Rochester (Jan. 29). With that goal, Higgins passed Marcel Hossa into 20th all-time in Bulldogs scoring. He is currently fifth place in team scoring with 25 points (13g, 12a)

Dogs with Bite

Jason Ward - On Wednesday against Rochester, Ward scored his 100th and 101st point as a Bulldog and became the eleventh Bulldogs player to reach the 100-point plateau. Ward finished the week with three points (2g, 1a) in three games. He has 10 points (2g, 8a) in his last seven games. He is currently fourth in team scoring with 27 points (11g, 16a).

Bulldogs All-Star

Tomas Plekanec - selected to the PlanetUSA AHL All-Star team roster, his second consecutive All-Star selection. This past week Plekanec earned four points (1g, 3a). With an assist on Chris Higgins' goal against Rochester (Jan 29), Plekanec is now tied with ex-Bulldog Kevin Brown for fourth all-time in Bulldogs points, goals and assists. He is currently leading in Bulldogs scoring with 34 points (16g, 18a).

UPCOMING EVENTS

Friday, February 11th - 7:30 p.m. vs. Edmonton - Hitz FM Night

The first 2,500 fans at the Bulldogs next home game on Friday, February 11th at 7:30 p.m. versus the Edmonton Roadrunners will receive a free Jason Ward bandana

Smirnoff Spin the Bottle Promotion: Fans 19 or older can win a special Smirnoff prize when the bottle lands on their section

Canada Post is bringing Bryan Trottier to Copps Coliseum for the game to launch their Former NHL Greats Collectors Stamp set. Trottier will be dropping the ceremonial face-off and will be in attendance for the entire game

Saturday, February 12th - 7:00 p.m. vs. Rochester - CH Night

Bulldogs fans can watch CH Morning Live starting on Thursday, February 3rd, to find out how to win seats in a private box for the game versus the Rochester Americans on Saturday, February 12th at 7:00 p.m.

Smirnoff Spin the Bottle Promotion: Fans 19 or older can win a special Smirnoff prize when the bottle lands on their section

UPCOMING GAMES

Wed. February 2nd, 7:05 p.m. - Bulldogs @ Rochester Americans

Hamilton is 2-4-0-0 versus Rochester (31-9-3-4) this season

Jason Ward (3g, 1a) and Chris Higgins (2g, 2a) lead the Bulldogs with 4 points in 6 games against the Amerks this season.

Rochester goaltender Ryan Miller leads the AHL in wins (25) and shut-outs (6) in 38 games

Forward Chris Taylor leads the Amerks in scoring with 41 points (12g, 29a) in 47 games and against the Bulldogs with 5 points (3g, 2a) in 6 games this season

Derek Roy has 4 points (3g, 1a), and 3 game-winning goals in six games against the Bulldogs

Fri. February 4th, 6:05 p.m. & Sat. February 5th, 6:05 p.m. - Bulldogs @ St. John's Maple Leafs

Hamilton is 1-4-0-0 versus St. John's (28-16-0-2) this season

Tomas Plekanec (1g, 3a) leads the Bulldogs with 4 points in 5 games against the Baby Leafs this season

Forward David Ling is tied for fourth in the AHL scoring race with 54 points (18g, 36a)

Goaltender Jean-Sebastien Aubin is 3-1-0-0 with a 2.46 GAA and .926 save percentage in 4 games against the Bulldogs this season

Kyle Wellwood has 8 points (3g, 5a) in his last 5 games

HAMILTON BULLDOGS MOLSON CUP THREE STARS - LEADERS

(1st place vote - 5pts, 2nd place vote - 3 pts, 3rd place vote - 1pt)

Player: Points:

1. Yann Danis 39

2. Chris Higgins 26

3. Corey Locke 24

3. Tomas Plekanec 24 5. Dan Ellis 15

6. Jason Ward 12

7. Steve Ott 8

7. James Sanford 8

9. Trevor Daley 6

10. Duncan Milroy 5

10. Philippe Plante 5

10. Gavin Morgan 5

13. Marc-Andre Thinel 4

14. Raitis Ivanans 3

15. Michael Lambert 1

15. Andrei Kostitsyn 1

HOMETOWN HERO OF THE GAME - LEADERS

(Hardest Working Bulldogs Player)

Player: Points:

1. Steve Ott 60

2. Trevor Daley 40

3. Chris Higgins 30

4. Jason Ward 20

5. Tomas Plekanec 10

5. Andrei Kostitsyn 10

5. Dan Ellis 10

5. Yann Danis 10

5. Gavin Morgan 10

5. Dan Jancevski 10

5. Raitis Ivanans 10



American Hockey League Stories from January 31, 2005


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